Telephone



Sept. 3, 1929. JZF, PARKER 1,726,855

TELEPHONE Filed May 4, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Ry. I

Sept. 3, 1929. J. F. PARKER TELEPHONE Filed May 4, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ilz-venan* Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

UNI-TED STATES JOHN F. PARKER, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

TELEPHONE.

Application led May 4,

My invention relates, in general terms, to telephones, but specifically, de als with certain novel features, both operativeand structural, which I have incorporatedin the ordinary semi-portable desk or extension s et.

One of the objects I have in view is to provide a telephone in which the receiver is a fixed element on the instrumentf-the *set being operable with one hand and raised 1o bodily to the operators head when in use.

Another object is the provision made whereby the electric circuit through the tele` phone may be closed atany time subsequent to its being lifted from its resting place on a desk or table by simply pressing a button operable by the hand which holds the instrument, this act eecting the release of a plate carrying a plunger operable in a jack. The plunger is normally locked and. held in a 2o position to provide an open or inoperative telephone circuit, but upon being released, brings the proper connections together in the jack to close the circuit.

Another object concerns the arrangement whereby the transmitter may be gagged, or made inoperative, temporarily, so that the user of the instrument may converse with a party in his presence without the one with whom his telephone is in connection being aware that this conversation with the third party is taking place.

A further object resides in the feature which permits the circuit to remain closed in case, for instance, the one answering a :z5 call is required to leave the telephone to summons another person wanted at the telephone.

And a still further object is the provision made whereby the circuit 'is 'automatically opened when the instrument is again laid on its base on the deskto remain open until the telephone is again lifted and the circuit manually closed by the actuation of the hereinbefore mentioned push button.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the description hereinafter found in the specification, and for the purpose of illustrating my invention I have prepared the accompanying drawings in which is disclosed one embodiment which, at the present time, I consider preferable to other possible forms in which the invention might be carried out.

In the drawings,-

Fig. 1 is an. elevation, partly in section,

1928. Serial No. 275,145.

of my telephone, the parts as arranged showing the instrument in open circuit,the base. plate being in retracted position;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1, showing the shutter employed to gag the transmitter;

Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of the base portion of the telephone, showing the jack and a portion of the wiring arrangement;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the leg on which the telephone rests when laid on its side; Fig. 5 is. a fragmentary elevation, partly in section, illustrating the mechanical parts, only, of the telephone as they appear' when the instrument is in closed circuit,-the base. plate. being in extended position;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional elevation taken online (2L-.6, Fig. 1, showing the plunger and Jack which opens and closes the circuit through the telephone,-this ligure showing the circuit open;

Fig. 7 is the same as the circuit is closed ing diagram.

Similar reference characters parts in all views.

Referring to the drawings, base, 2 the tubular handle, 3 the receiver and 4 the transmitter of my improved telephone. The two last named elements, 3 and d, may be of any approved type or style and in so far as the novelty of my invention is concerned do not, of themselves, form a part thereof, except in combination with the other` elements.

Rising from the base and extending upwardly into the tubular handle 2 is a hub 5 centrally bored to receive the guide bushing 6, reciprocable in which is a stud 7. The lower end of this stud is secured in the axially movable base-platel 8 by means of the screw 9.

I preferably cover the base-plate with a felt protecting pad 10, employing a ring member 1l with which to draw the pad tightly across the bottom of the base-plate.

A spring 12 provides a yielding thrust on the top. of the base-plate tending to force it out of its position within the lower portion of the base 1.

On the top end of the stud 7 is a head 13 and a latch lever 14 engages this head, when Fig. 6 except that and Fig. 8 is the wiridentify like 1 represents the the base-plate is in its retracted or extreme inward position within the base, locking the parts together and causing the circuit through the telephone to be opened,-the spring 12 vnow being under maximum comresslon. K

The latch lever is pivotally secured to the handle 2 through the agency of the bracket 15 and on its upper' end a push button'l extends outwardly through the wall of'the handle. A. spring 17 operates to yieldingly hold the hook end of the latch lever inwardly, or toward the head 13.

Vith the telephone'lifted tree ofthe table or desk, a pressure applied to the push button 16 releases the head 13 from the latch lever hook and allows the base-.plate to moye outwardly, or into its extended position within the base 1, as illustrated in Fig. 5, in which position the telephone circuit is closed. l

The reciprocations of the base-plate y 8 within the base 1 provide the necessary.

movements ina plunger and jack mechanism for opening' and closing the telephone circuit.

Referring to Figs. 1, 6 and 7 the method of operating this jack will be clearly understood. Secured to the base-plate 8 is a Y plunger 18 which extends upwardly into the hole 19 made in a depending boss 2O within the base 1. Secured to the face of this boss is an insulating block 21 to which are fastened three jack springs 22,-these composing the elements in the jack. In the Figs.v 6 and 7 I haveshown but one of these springs. The proper wiring connections are made with these springs, about which more will be said hereinafter in the specification. It might be well to state at this time, however, that in some systems of wiring the telephone but one of the jack springs would be required, in others perhaps four,-the principle involved being the same in all cases.

The plunger is a composite structure, there being an upper portion having a reduced end 18 which is secured in the lower portion, and between the shoulders thus made is a sleeve 23 and a collar 24 made of any hard insulating material. Surrounding a turned down portion of the sleeve is a ferrule 25 made of any suitable conductive material. This ferrule is completely insulated from the metallic plunger 18 and Areduced portion 18.

When the base-plate is in retracted p0sition within -the base, as seen in Figs. 1 and 6, the jack springs ride on the insulating sleeve 23, and when the base plate is extended, as lshown in Figs. 5 and 7, these springs all bear on the conductive furrule 25.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 5, wherein are shown the parts employed to temporarily gag or cut out the transmitter, 26a and 26b represent the two parts of which I preferably make the transmitter tubular adapter. The lower part screws into the transmitter casing and is provided with a perforated. partition 27 in which are holes 28. The upper portion of the adapter, intowhich is screwed the mouth-piece 29, is secured to the lower portion by the screws 30.

Operating through a slot in the section 26b is a perforate shutter or disc 3l having holes 32 which match the holes 28 in the partition 27. Integral with or secured to the shutter is an arm 33 which extends through an opening 34 into the interior of the handle 2, terminating 'in an upturned portion 33. A Viatspring 35 is secured to the handle 2 and acts normally to place ayielding strain on the portion 33', tending to force the shutter arm further into the telephone handle 2. l

Secured to the stud 7 is a plate 36 having engages the upturned end 33 of the arm 33.

The two elements, 35 and 36, in co-action, control the automatic movement of the shutter 3l. For instance, when the telephone rests on the plate 8, the stud 7 is in phragm of the transmitter is closed, pre.

venting the vibration ot the air'caused by the articulations of the vocal organs of the speaker being transmitted to the diaphragm. The particular 'function exercised by the shutter at this time-or when thetelephone is at rest on its base--is not, however, to prevent transmission of sound, but to close the passage-way to the admission of dust,

. dirt or foreign matter which by collecting on the diaphragm causes it to act less eiectively. j

Upon lifting the instrument from the desk and releasing the stud 7 from engagement with the lever 14 by the actuation of the push button 16, the plate 36 drops, allowing the spring 35 to force the arm 33 inwardly and the two sets of holes, 28 and 32, to align thus making air communication v with the an outer bevelledend which at certain times diaphragm 37 .from the outside, through the mouth-piece, possible. 'Ihe positions of the parts now under consideration are clearly shown in Fig. 5, in which view the instrument may be consider d as being removed rom the desk an vheld by the speakers hand in the act of telephoning.

It is obvious, if further reference be had to Figs. 5 and 7, that the telephone, after being raised from the desk, has also been placed in closed circuit with the service lines through the manipulation of the push button 16 and that while the instrument is thus held, the transmitterv may be manually gag ed by again pressing the button 16 and hol ing 1t 1n its retracted position,-the hooked end of the latch lever 14 abutting on the portion 33', forcing the arm 33 outwardly against the resistance of the spring 35 and resulting in bringing the holes 28 and 32 into disalignment, as shown in Fig. 1.

The manual actuation of the shutter 31 can be accomplished only after the telephone has been lifted from the table and placed in closed circuit; but, as a matter of fact, this is the only time at which this method of operating it is called for.

In some cases it is desirable to lay the telephone on its side, and to do this and prevent ,its rolling I supply the forked leg 38 shown in plan in Fig. 4.

Any convenient means may be employed by which to secure together the base, the handle` the forked leg and the receiver,- as for instance, by the long bolts 39.

The Wiring diagram is shown in Fig. 8. Starting with the receiver R, one wire passes out of the base 1, the other wire, b, makes connection with one of the jack springs 22. From the transmitter T, the wire d, connects with another jack spring, and the other wire, c, proceeds out of the base as does also the wire e which originates from the, third and last jack spring. The three wires, a, c, and e which extend together out of the base continue to the coils, condenser, bells etc. and are connected up, as is, in fact, all the wiring, except that the jack is included in the circuit in the usual or conventional manner of telephone equipment.

The operating features of my telephone differ in many respects from the ordinary type of instrument. The user lirst lifts the telephone from its resting place, brings the receiver to his ear and inclines the handle so that the transmitter comes within convenient range of his mouth. The act of lifting the instrument, however, does not make it possible, as yet, to call the central eXchange,-this being accomplished by lightly pressing the button 16 which releases the plunger 7 and allows the spring 12 to force the base-plate 8 into extended position;

The movement of the base-plate outwardly of the base 1 changes the relative positions of the jack springs 22 from their former location on the insulating sleeve 23 to com mon contact with the conductive ferrule 25. This closes the electrical circuit through the telephone, and it is now possible to reach the central oiiice and put in the call for the party with whom it is desired to converse.

After the party calling has completed his conversation, the telephone is returned to the desk. resting on the base-plate; and in this position the weight of the instrument is such as to force the base-plate into the base, or into its former retracted position A therein, causing the circuit to be broken at the jack and, by means of the latch lever 14, locking the parts and positively holding the telephone in open circuit until again hfted and the push button actuated.

It is obvious,then, that in ordinary operation, the telephone circuit is manually closed and automatically opened,-the latter being automatic for the reason that no indivldual or separate operation is required to open the circuit when the user is in the act of returning the instrument to its accustomed resting place on the desk or table.

It is possible, of course, after the instrument has been lifted from the desk, to manually open the telephone circuit. It might happen that the user wished to call another party before replacing the telephone on the desk. The simple act of forcing the baseplate into the base with the users unincumbered hand locks the instrument in open circuit and cuts off connection with central. Another touch on the button closes the circulilt and the user is prepared to make another ca oftentimes a person telephoning another desires to consult with a third party in his presence without the one on the other end of the line being cognizant of what is being said, or, in fact having any knowledge that the consultation is taking place at all. To more clearly state the case, let us assume that A is talking with B over the tele hone and that during this conversation wis ies to consult C on some pertinent matter, C being in As presence. Pushing the button 16 allows A to carry on a conversation with C without Bs knowledge of this fact. At the same time B may be able to talk with A although the former is absolutely cut ofi from anything transpiring between A and C.

In many instances it happens that the party answering a call is not the one with whom the caller wishes to talk. In this case the one answering the call must leave the telephone to summons the proper party, but to replace the instrument on its base would break connection with the central oiiice. By means of the leg 38 the instrument may be laid on its side without interference with circuit conditions.

It is an advantage for certain reasons to manually release the base-plate to bring the telephone into closed circuit, rather than to depend on simply lifting the instrument to bring this condition about. For instance, in clearing of ones desk for dusting or cleaning, or in moving the'telephone from one place to another, the circuit remains open, whereas, in many types of instruments, lifting or moving the same would necessarily call central for the reason that the circuit would be closed when the telephone was disturbed.

Furthermore, my invention is not to be confused with those telephones which, al-

though operated with one hand, require a constant pressure on a lever or button to keep the circuit closed during thev entire conversational period.

In operating thislatter type of instrument the user sometimes relaxes his hold on the switch button and this has the effect of notifying central exchange that the conver-sation is completed-with the result that his line is disconnected." Nor can this class of telephone be left while the party answering leaves to summons another party wanted, without breaking connection with the central ofHce.

The novelty of my invention as I apply it to the ordinary telephone does not in any Way affect the general operation of thelatter. In fact the receiver and transmitter may be of the conventional type so far as operating in connection with the elements supplied by my improvements is concerned.

But these improvements, it is believed, wlll add merit to the instrument now in general use and be found not only convenient but advantageous in many ways.

In the foregoing I have described, and 1n the drawings illustrated one workable combination or embodiment of my invention which will serve to exemplify the more 1 mportant features thereof; but I do not wish it to exact mechanical details of construction as set -forth and shall deem it permissible to emsuch modifications as seem desirable, provided, always, that any departurefrom the construction as diclosed shall be conformable to the meaning and intent of the invention and co-extensive with the vsubploy Ajoined claims.

1. Atelephone comprising in combination a base member, a transmitter'on said base member, a handle on said base member of tubular form, a receiver fixed on said handle, a base-plate in and extending for a spaced distance below said base 'member, means adapted to exert a yielding pressure on the upper side of said base-plate, and means whereby said base-plate may be locked against axial movement in said base when in.

a portion thereof extending therebelow,

means adapted to provide a yielding pressure on said base-plate tending to force it out of said base, a stud on said base-plate, guiding means on said base for said stud, a head on be understood that I limit myself to the said stud, a latch-lever adapted to engage said head and lock said base-plate against axial-movement thereof when in its retracted position within said base, and a push-button on said latch-lever projecting through ,the

wall of said handle and adaptedto serve as means to actuate said latch-lever whereby said base-plate may be' released from its ocked and retracted position within said ase.

. 4. A telephone' according to claim 3 having a plunger on said base-plate, a bearing on said base member adapted to receive said plunger, a conductive ferrule on but insulated from direct contact with said plunger, a non-conductive sleeve on vsaid plunger ad jacent said conductive ferrule, and an insulated jack on said base member comprising a plurality of jack springs arranged around the periphery of saidplunger and y adapted to alternately engage the said conductive ferrule and the'said non-conductive sleeve, whereby the circuit in said telephone may be, respectively, closed and opened.

5. telephone comprising in combination a base, a handle fixed on said base, a transmitter fixed on said base, a receiver fixed on said handle, a base-plate reciprocably `mounted in said base, means to lock said base-plate in its retracted position within said base, means to provide a yielding pres sure on the inner side of said base-platel tending to force it out of said base, means to release said base-plate from its locked 'position, and a supporting leg on said handle adapted to partially support said telephone and prevent its rolling when laid on its side.

6. A telephone comprising in combination with a base member, a handle, a receiver fixed on said handle, and a transmitter fixed on said base member, of a reciprocable baseplate in said base member, means whereby the electrical circuit through said telephone is opened when the weight-of said telephone is borne by said base-plate, means whereby said base-plate becomes automatically locked against axial movement in and relative to said base member when the weight of said telephone is carried by said base-plate, and means whereby said electric circuit can be closed solely by means operable only after, and independently of, the lifting of said base-plate from the body supporting it.

7. A telephone comprising in combination a base member, a handle on said base member, a receiver fixed on said handle, a transmitter fixed on said base member, a base-plate adaptable of axial movement within said base member and depending for a spaced distance below the bottom thereof,

means whereby the movement of said basematically becomes locked against aXial movement in said base member when in its inward or retracted position within said base member, manually and independently operable means to release said base-plate from its locked position at any time subsequent to its being raised from its supporting body, a shutter operable to close and open the passage-way from the atmosphere into said transmitter, and means whereby said passageway remains always closed whenever and while said base-plate is in its inwardly disposed or retracted position in said base member.

8. A telephone comprising in combination a base member, a transmitter fixed on said base member, a tubular handle on said base `member, a base-plate reciprocable in said base member, a stud secured in said base-plate, a guide bushing 1n sald base member within which said stud may reciprocate, said bushing extending upwardly into said handle, means to lock said stud against axial movement within said bushing when in its eX- treme inward position within said handle, a shutter on said transmitter adapted to alternatelyr open and close the passage-way to the diaphragm of said transmitter from the atmosphere, expansible means acting normally to open said shutter, and means operable to automatically close said shutter when said base-plate is forced into its retracted position in said base member.

9. A telephone according to claim 8 and in addition, means whereby said shutter may be manually closed while said base-plate is in extended position in said base member and said telephone is in a closed electrical circuit.

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature.

JOHN F. PARKER. 

